Mishap in the Dungeon
by Yen
Summary: Harry and Ron dreams about turning Professor Snape into a frog. Of course, dreams don't always come out the way you want them to. My second HP fanfic, and I hope you like it!


Mishap in the Dungeon  
Harry Potter Fanfiction Written by Yen  
  
***  
  
Many things happened in his first year at Hogwarts that Harry can remember. A lot of them was memorable, a lot was not. Maybe it was because he didn't get along at all with Professor Snape, but he seemed to recall that most bad things that had happened to him happened during Potions class.  
  
It was the last friday before Christmas holidays began. The temperature in the dungeons was freezing, but Harry wasn't shivering. He was too happy and excited that this was his last class until the start of next term next year. Even Ron wasn't scowling at Snape's back as he usually did.  
  
Both boys jostled each other playfully as they waited for the brew in their cauldron to boil. Nearby, partnered with Neville, Hermione was practically bouncing on her heels. She was going home for the holidays and could barely wait to see her parents again and tell them everything that had happened at Hogwarts.  
  
Even Malfoy seemed to be affected by holiday spirits. He hadn't said anything unpleasant to Harry thus far today. Harry decided that even Draco could act nice once in a while. Now, if he could only say the same for Professor Snape, who was chalking on the blackboard a long list of herbs and potions to be researched during the holidays.  
  
"Geez..." muttered Ron, losing his Christmas cheer and finally scowling at Snape's back. Even the Slytherins were looking with dread at the homework to be done. The only one who didn't look upset was Hermione, who was busy scribbling the assignment down.  
  
But even mean Professor Snape couldn't keep their spirits down for long. When Potions ended, both Gryffindors and Slytherins cheered loudly. Professor Snape didn't bother to control them. He even smiled slightly when a few Gryffindors dared to wish him a Merry Christmas.  
  
Harry wasn't one of them. He was busy trying to dismantle and collapse the cauldron while Ron cleared and put away their ingredients. Hermione was waiting for them impatiently. "I'll wait outside for you two," she told them. Neville was in the hall, and she had to remind him to return her notes tonight  
  
Harry nodded absent-mindedly then grimaced. "Ugh. Ron, give me a hand with this." Something was stuck, and the cauldron, which was of the collapsible kind and which was Ron's, wouldn't collapse.  
  
"Never mind," said Ron, "I'll carry it as it is. It was Charlie's. Ever since he used it to boil some dragon dung, it's been acting up now and then. I'll fix it later."  
  
"Why are you two still here?"  
  
Both boys looked up from the cauldron to find that they were the only two students left in the room. At his desk, Professor Snape was looking at them suspiciously.  
  
"We're going now, Professor," Harry said hurriedly, picking up his bag and cauldron while Ron did the same. Both paused when Snape said, "Don't go just yet."  
  
There was a sinking feeling in Harry's stomach when Snape gestured at the walls. "I want both of you to do an inventory next Monday," he said. Harry and Ron looked at each other in horror. There was hundreds of jars, each with a pickled animal or two or more all around the walls.  
  
"But Professor!" Ron protested. He fell silent when Snape glared at him. "Will you be busy, Mr. Weasley?" the Potions Master asked softly. "Professor McGonagall told me you two were staying here for the holidays."  
  
"Yes, but-" Harry nudged his elbow into Ron's side, silencing him. They couldn't refuse Snape's request. When Ron finally realized that, his face darkened in anger, and he looked Snape furiously. Harry dragged him out of dungeon before he exploded. "We'll be here on Monday, Professor," Harry told the teacher just before they left.  
  
When they told Hermione what had happened, she gave them a sympathetic look and tried to cheer them up by saying, "I'm sure you'll learn a lot of new things." That didn't help in the slightest, and Ron's mood only lightened when they met Hagrid with a Christmas tree.  
  
On Monday morning, Harry and Ron slowly and reluctantly trudged down to the dungeons. "Fine way to start the holidays," muttered Ron when they arrived the classroom. Professor Snape wasn't there, but he had left a note with instructions and a dusty old tome.  
  
An hour later, Harry and Ron barely made a dent in their chore. Ron was removing jars from the shelves and placing them on the floor beside Harry who was sitting on a small stool and listing them in the book.   
  
"This will take forever!" Growled Ron as he set down two jars quickly. Both held large perfectly preserved spiders.  
  
Harry squinted at the label on the jar he was holding. Then, he looked for the name in the book. He was starting to hate everything about Snape, including his handwriting.  
  
"I say we complain to the Headmaster," said Ron. A while later, Harry felt Ron's fingers tap on his head. He look up to see Ron holding up a small blue bottle.  
  
"What is it, Ron?" Harry asked while Ron peered at the bottle's contents. "There's no label," answered Ron, shaking the bottle a little, "There doesn't seem to anything in it either."  
  
"Hmm..." Harry went back to inventoring. "We'll show it to Snape when he gets here."  
  
"Maybe we can slip it into his meal," suggested Ron, eyes lighting up, "maybe it will turn him into a frog or something. It was sandwiched between two jars with frogs in them."  
  
Harry grinned. What a wonderful thought that was. Snape turning into a frog. "Maybe we can use it on Draco too," Harry added, eyes twinkling with mischief.  
  
Ron sighed loudly. "Too bad Professor McGonagall doesn't teach advanced animal transfigurations in the first year." He tossed the little bottle to Harry who caught it awkwardly.  
  
"Be careful, Ron," yelped Harry, "We don't know what this stuff does."  
  
"Probably doesn't do anything," Ron said, reaching up to get more jars. "The potion in it has probably expired."  
  
Harry examined it. There doesn't seem to be anything floating inside the bottle. It probably doesn't do anything. Still, Harry's curiosity was peaked, and finding out what it was would be a lot more interesting than inventoring jars of desiccated animals. He quickly placed aside the inventory book and stood up. Ron glanced to him. "Harry?"  
  
"Let's find out what this does, Ron."  
  
"Harry-"  
  
"We need a break," reasoned Harry, "Besides, Snape will probably make us find out what it is anyway."  
  
Ron grimaced. "Yeah, he'll just love to give us more work." His expression turned disgusted. "He might even test it on us. Make us drink it."  
  
With Snape, Harry couldn't discount the possibility. He looked around and spotted a large jar of live beetles. "Let's test it on a beetle," he told Ron, who nodded and went off to get one.  
  
With a pair of tongs, Ron held out a struggling beetle while Harry twist open the bottle's top and took a bit of the solution inside with a glass dropper.  
  
They watched closedly as Harry let one drop fall on the beetle. Several moments later, it was still struggling. Nothing was happening to it.  
  
Both boys let out disappointed sighs. "Told you it doesn't do anything," said Ron. Harry nodded.  
  
"What are you two doing?" A low dark voice said behind him. Harry whirled around, eyes widening in panic at Snape who had somehow entered the room without them noticing.  
  
Snape cursed when Harry accidently spilled the bottle's contents on him. The teacher raised both his hands instinctively. The liquid on his robes suddenly began to smoke and he quickly pulled them off, throwing them aside. His robes immediately burst into flames; white smoke billowed from it.  
  
"Keep back!" Snape shouted at Harry and Ron. They backed away as Snape ran into the smoke.  
  
***  
  
"Then what happened?" Headmaster Dumbledore said kindly. Harry and Ron shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Professor McGonagall who was rocking back and forth gently, tutting softly.  
  
It was Ron who answered. "When the smoke cleared," he said slowly, having difficulty getting words out, "we found that Professor Snape had..." Again both of them looked at McGonagall who smiled and raised the baby boy she was holding high up in the air, making funny sounds at him. The child, swaddled in black cloth, gurgled happily at her. "Never thought you would be such a cutie as a baby, Severus dear," a charmed Professor McGonagall cooed at him.  
  
Harry desperately wanted to get out of there. His chest and stomach muscles ached, trying to hold back laughter. It's not funny! He tried to sober himself. You might get expelled for this. That worked quite well. Still, this was so much better than turning Snape into a frog.  
  
He glanced to Ron, who was having the same problem as he was. Then he looked at Dumbledore, who, thank goodness, was smiling.  
  
"Harry, Ron," said the Headmaster, "this is a serious matter."  
  
"Yes, Sir," both of them said meekly. "It was an accident," added Ron a little bravely.  
  
"Weren't you told that you must never play with potions that you don't know or know very little about?"  
  
"Yes, Sir. We're very sorry, Sir," both of them chorused.  
  
"You two do know you must be punished for this," Dumbledore said.  
  
"... Yes, Sir."  
  
***  
  
The punishment Dumbledore meted out to Harry and Ron was more than enough to drive all amused thought out of the boys' heads. After the inventoring in the dungeons was done, they were to clean out the Owlery without magic.  
  
"Wasn't that a bit too harsh, Albus?" McGonagall said as she gave Severus his bottle. She smiled when the baby closed his eyes closed in contentment as he suckled his bottle. "It was an accident, after all."  
  
Dumbledore chuckled. "I'm surprised you are defending their side, Minerva. Those two young strong boys will have the Owlery clean by dusk. You are getting soft."  
  
She glared at him, then her expression gentled and she looked back to the baby. "Perhaps, I have, but it is Christmas after all." Then she changed the subject matter. "How long until the antidote takes effect?"  
  
"In three hours, Severus should be back to his old self." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "And fortunately for Harry and Ron, he won't remember anything."  
  
***  
  
"I hate Snape," Ron muttered as he wiped owl droppings from his cheek. Nearby, Harry was scraping the same from post. "You know what makes this even worse," said Harry remorsely.  
  
"What?"  
  
"No one will ever believe us!"  
  
***  
  
Author's note:  
  
Other writers most likely has done similar fanfics for Harry Potter, and I hope to read them all and more. 


End file.
